Planter.



PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905.

R. H. CLARKE PLAN TEE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 0. 1005.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTIOR wan/Q.

PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905.

R. H. CLARKE.

PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[/VVE/VTOR a. NM

Allorney NITED STATES PATENT OFFIO PLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24., 1905.

Application filed June 8, 1905. Serial No. 264,310.

To aZZ whom it flea/y concern.-

Be it known that LROBERT HARVIE CLARKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lloyds, in the county of Essex and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Planters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates toacorn-planter, and particularly to a structure adapted for planting corn, peas, beans, and similar material.

The invention has for an object to provide an improved construction and arrangement of parts by which the planter is adapted to deposit grain or other material at predetermined intervals controlled by suitable projections carried by the traction-wheel thereof, which operate feeding means within the hopper thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which the operating-lever for the feed-hopper may be thrown out of operative position at any time desired.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aside elevation of the invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section thereof; Fig. 3, a detail longitudinal section, parts being shown in certain adjusted positions; Fig. 4, a vertical cross-section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a detail perspective of the brake or shifting means for the operatinglever, and Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view showing an indicator-arm.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, in which r A designates a frame, which may be of any desired construction and provided with the usual handles A. Mounted in this frame is a traction-wheel A, which is provided at suitable intervals with a series of operating pins or projections A adapted to engage the operating-lever B, which is pivotally mounted upon the cross-rod B carried by bearings B upon the frame. This lever B is provided next the traction-Wheel with an adjustable strike-arm B to engage the pins A and extended at an angle from the lever B. The adjustment of this arm may be effected in any desired mannerfor instance, by means of the slot B and pin B", as shown in Fig. 1. At the forward end of the frame the hopper O is supported and is provided with the downwardly extending discharge-spout C, within which the cut-off valve or block C is slidingly mounted. This block is connected to the opposite end of the lever B from the traction-wheel by means of the slotted connections C", while the parts are normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by means of the springs 0*, carried by the hopper and bearing upon the upper face of this lever. The block C is extended upward, as shown at C and there connected with a crank-arm C, pivotally mounted at C within a casing C disposed within the hopper, while the free end of this crank-arm is provided with a feed ing-lingerC, threaded therein, so as to be adjustable for different lengths of throw relative to the d ischarge-opening C of the hopper.

Referring to Fig. 6 of the drawings, it will be noted that I have shown a mechanism for indicating when the seed in the hopper lowers below a certain level, and comprises a tilting indicator I), having a weighted end D, said indicator being pivotally mounted at D inside of the hopper and adjacent to thelower end of the elongated slot D in the wall thereof. Said view shows in solid lines the position the indicator would assume when the grain lowers to a level below the lower end of the indicator when it assumes the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. When the hopper is filled, the indicator is held in the position illustrated in dotted lines, and the grain bearing against the inner vertical edge of the indicator will have a tendency to hold the indicator from tilting down in the position shown in solid lines; but as the grain lowers below the lower end of the position assumed by the indicator in dotted lines it will be readily understood how the weighted end of said indicator would cause the latter to tilt in horizontal position.

The spout C may be used in connection with any desired form of furrow-opening blade. For instance, the bar E may be pivotally mounted at F. upon the frame A and provided at its forward end with the clevis connection E which is held in adjusted posi tion by means of the pin Ff, passing through the apertured standard E", carried upon the frame. The opposite end of this bar is provided with a U-shaped hanger E pivotally connected thereto and secured at its lower IIO end to the covering-blades E at opposite sides of the spout C. These blades are of the usual construction and preferably curved inward at their rear ends, as shown at E in Fig. 4:. The front of these blades is supported by a hanger E of similar construction to the hanger E and supported from the standard F, carrying the plow-blade F, disposed at the front of the spout C. This blade is adjustably mounted in the bar E in any desired manner, as shown at F and the hanger E connected thereto by means of a bolt connection, as shown at F For the purpose of shifting the operatinglever B laterally away from the projections A in order that the planter may be rendered inoperative I have provided a shifting-lever G, pivotally mounted upon the frame A at G and provided with a yoke G extending laterally therefrom and having an eye G surrounding the pivoting-rod B of the lever B at one side of this lever. Between the opposite face of the lever and the frame of the machine a coiled tension-spring G is disposed and surrounds the pivoting-rod B to be placed under compression when the lever B is shifted upon said rod. With this construction when it is desired to shift the lever B out of operative position the lever G is moved away therefrom and held in shifted position in any desired mannerfor instance, by means of a latch-rod G adapted to seat in a socket-block G, carried upon the frame and normally held in its downward position by means of a coiled spring G surrounding the rod and secured thereto at one end, while at its opposite end it bears against a lateral extension G carried by the lever Gr. This rod may be operated in any desired mannerfor instance, by means of a handle H, by which the lever G may also be shifted. This handle is shown in Fig. 5 as pivotally mounted upon an angular lug H and is connected to the rod G at one side of said pivot, while the pivoted end of the bandle is provided with a curved face H to facilitate its movement into a vertical position when it is desired to release the latch. The handle of the lever is moved upward, and the spring Gd immediately forces the lever B into operative contact with the traction-wheel carrying the pins for intermittently operating the lever.

In the operation of the invention the motion of the traction-wheel is transmitted through the lever B to the feeding-finger G by the upward movement of the end of said lever next the hopper. This movement raises the cut-off block C so that the grain forced from the hopper falls into the spout, and as soon as the striker upon the lever B passes a projection A on wheel A the spring C* immediately restores the lever to the position shown in Fig. 2 and throws the cut-off block opposite the opening from the hopper. The plow-blade F provides a furrow for the receipt of grain which is properly covered by the blades carried at opposite sides of the spout, and the planting operation thereby accomplished performs all the functions of a check-row planter by a very simple and eiiicient construction of parts.

The adjustable striker carried by the operating-lever B to engage the projections upon the traction-wheel permits a difierent length of throw to be given said lever, and consequently a greater or less extent of feed by the finger within the hopper, as the travel of the bell-crank lever will be thereby controlled. This finger may also by its adjustment be regulated to determine the amount or extent of travel and the consequent feed. It will also be observed that the construction and arrangement of the handle upon the shiftinglever permits the same to be used for moving this lever laterally of the machine and also for operating the latch-rod carried by the shifting-lever.

If at any time it be desired to use the plows and covers without the feeding devices and the hopper, the lever B may be shifted out of operative position and so retained by means of the shifting-lever hereinbefore described.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a planter, a frame, a traction-wheel mounted therein, projections carried by said wheel, a feed-hopper, a lever provided at one end with means for closing the outlet from said hopper and at the opposite end adapted to be engaged by said projections, a bell-crank lever within said hopper and operatively connected to the operating-lever, and a feedingfinger carried by said bell-crank lever.

2. In a planter, a frame, a traction-wheel mounted therein, projections carried by said wheel, a feed-hopper, a lever provided at one end with means for closing the outlet from said hopper and at the opposite end adapted to be engaged by said projections, abell-crank lever within said hopper and operatively connected to the operating-lever, a feeding-finger carried by said bell-crank lever, a tensionspring carried by the hopper and bearing upon the upper face of the operating-lever, and means for adjusting said finger in the bell-crank lever.

3. In a planter, a traction-wheel provided with laterally-extending pins, an operatinglever disposed in the path of said pins, and adapted for lateral movement upon its pivot, a shifting-lever mounted upon the frame of the machine for moving said operating-lever laterally upon its pivot, and a restoring-spring extending between the operating-lever and the machine-frame.

4. In a planter, a traction-wheel provided with laterally-extending pins, an operatinglever disposed in the path of said pins, and adapted for lateral movement upon its pivot, a shifting-lever mounted upon the frame of the machine for moving said operating-lever laterally upon its pivot, a restoring-spring extending between the operating-lever and the machine-frame, and a latch-rod carried by the shifting-lever to engage the machine-frame.

5. In combination with a planter, a feedhopper, having a slot in the side wall thereof, an indicator-arm pivotally mounted in alinement with said slot and Within the hopper, one end of said arm being weighted, said arm designed to be held within the hopper when the material is held against the lower end thereof, and said arm being adapted to drop through said slot into horizontal position as the material leaves the inner end of the arm,

as set forth.

6. In a planter, a frame, a traction-wheel mounted therein. a hopper, means for feeding material from said hopper, a spout communicating with said hopper, a bar pivotally mounted at the front of said hopper and provided with a clevis connection, and a plow blade carried by said bar in advance of said spout.

7. In a planter, a frame, a traction-wheel mounted therein, a hopper, means for feeding material from said hopper, a spout communicating with said hopper, a bar pivotally mount ed at the front of said hopper and provided with a clevis connection, a plow-blade carried by said bar in advance of said spout, coveringblades carried by said bar at opposite sides of said spout, and means for retaining said bar in its adjusted position.

8. In a planter, a frame, a traction-Wheel mounted therein, a feed-hopper mounted upon said frame, a spout communicating with the outlet of said hopper, an operating lever adapted to be actuated from said wheel, a cutoff block mounted in said spout opposite the outlet from said hopper and pivotally connected to the operating-lever, and a tensionspring for restoring said block to a closed position.

9. In'a planter, a frame, a traction-wheel mounted therein, a feed-hopper mounted upon said frame, a spout communicating With the outlet of said hopper, an operating lever adapted to be actuated from said wheel, a cutoff block mounted in said spoutopposite the outlet from said hopper and pivotally connected to the operating-lever, a tensionspring for restoring said block to a closed position, a bell-crank lever having a slotted arm pivotally connected to an upward extension from said block, and a feeding-finger adjustably mounted in the free end of said bell-crank lever.

10. In a planter, a frame, a traction-wheel mounted therein, a feed-hopper mounted upon said frame, a spout communicating with the outlet of said hopper, an operating lever adapted to be actuated from said wheel, a cutoff block mounted in said spout opposite the outlet from said hopper and pivotally connected to the operating-lever, a tension-spring for restoring said block to a closed position, a bell-crank lever having a slotted arm pivotally connected to an upward extension from said block, a feeding-finger adjustably mounted in the free end of said bell-crank lever, a protecting casing surrounding said bell-crank lever, and an adjustable striker disposed at the end of the operating-lever next to the tractionwheel.

11. In a planter, a frame, a traction-wheel mounted therein, a feed hopper mounted thereon, an operating-lever mounted upon a cross-rod carried by said frame for lateral movement thereon and extending between the traction-wheel and feed-hopper, a shifting-lever pivotally mounted upon the frame at one side of the machine, a laterally-extending yoke from the shifting-lever embracing said operating-lever, and a tension-spring extending between the operatinglever and the frame upon which the shifting-lever is mounted.

12. In a planter, a frame, a traction-Wheel mounted therein, a feed hopper mounted thereon, an operating-lever mounted upon a cross-rod carried by said frame for lateral movement thereon and extending between the traction-wheel and feed-hopper, a shifting-lever pivotally mounted upon the frame at one side of the machine, a laterally-extending yoke from the shifting-lever embracing said operating-lever, a tension-spring extending between the operating-lever and the frame upon which the shifting-lever is mounted, a socket-plate disposed upon said frame, and a spring-actuated latch-rod carried by the shifting-lever to engage said socket.

13. In a planter, a frame, a traction-wheel mounted therein, a feed hopper mounted thereon, an operating-lever mounted upon a cross-rod carried by said frame for lateral movement thereon and extending between the traction-wheel and feed-hopper, a shifting-lever pivotally mounted upon the frame at one side of the machine, a laterally-extending yoke from the shifting-lever embracing said operating-lever, a tension-spring extending between the operating-levcr and the frame upon which the shifting-lever is mounted, a socketplate disposed upon said frame, a spring-actuated latch-rod carried by the shifting-lever to engage said socket, and a handle connected to said latch rod and pivotally mounted upon a rectangular'lug carried by the upper end of the shifting-lever.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. ROBERT HARVIE CLARKE. Witnesses:

JAS. H. CLARKE, PHILLIP J. RoLLINs. 

